Can My Laptop Hurt My Fertility?

Can the heat from a laptop affect fertility?

If you’re a woman, and you’re talking about your own fertility, you can feel free to hammer away on your laptop. That’s because our ovaries are well insulated against high temperatures, so we’re in little danger of damaging eggs from radiant heat.

Your partner, on the other hand, may have more to worry about if he takes his laptop a little too literally. Testicles need to stay about 1 or 2 degrees cooler than the rest of the body. When they get too hot, the shape (morphology) of the sperm can be affected, which can make it more difficult to fertilize an egg. So if his computer sits atop his family jewels, the heat can have a direct impact on his sperm quality. In fact, a study by the State University of New York found that the heat generated from laptops elevated the temperature of the scrotum by about 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Same idea goes for tablets, cell phones and any other electronic device that heats up with use. But keep in mind it’s strictly the temperature that makes a difference here; there doesn’t seem to be any scientific evidence that radio frequency can have a negative impact on sperm.